Slovak Wines stand up to be counted

By James Bayley

Published: 20 January, 2023

With a surge of new estates and young winemakers on show, the Embassy of Slovakia showcased the very best the region has to offer at its London tasting this week at 67 Pall Mall.

A total of 60 wines from 15 winemakers were featured at the event, comprising an unexpectedly wide array of well-known and completely original grape varieties.

As one might expect from an Eastern European country, Slovakia champions fresh whites, bright rosés and organic orange wines. However, there was also a surprising variation of complex, full-bodied reds on display.

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For example, Martin Pomfy, a winery in Small Carpathians, home to nearly half of Slovakia’s wine producers in the south of the country, boasted not one but two standout reds including a dry Cabernet Sauvignon which had been aged in French oak for 30 months, stocked by Tanners Wine Merchants.

Another red wine of note was the 2021 Pinot Noir from Bott Frigyes, a winery of 10 ha in the south of the country, located on the southern slopes of the Muzsla Hills near the River Garam.

Established in 2005, Bott Frigyes ferments using various sizes of old Hungarian oak. The fruit-forward Pinot Noir is a smooth red and is available via Roland Wines.

There were plenty of lesser-known varieties too, such as the Nigori 2018 made from 100% Welschriesling. Winemaker Zsolt Suto of the Strekov 1075 winery in the southwest of Slovakia referred to the wine’s, “cloudy, fresh, intensely fruity and creamy oak taste.” The funky orange wine, bottled with raw sediment, was one of many esoteric wines that will likely pique the curiosity of a UK market that is always looking for something new.

To put the above into context, Slovakia has around 10,000 ha of vineyards in production and 692 registered winemakers. With its cool, continental wines, it lies close to the limit of northern commercial winegrowing with a similar altitude to that of Burgundy.

Slovakia grows a wide variety of grapes, with similar variations to its eastern European neighbours, particularly Hungary, with which it shares the winemaking region of Tokaj.

Among Slovakia’s most renowned varieties are Frankovka modrá (Blaufränkisch), Grüner Veltliner, Welschriesling, Furmint (Tokaj), Svätovavrinecké (St Laurent), Müller-Thurgau and various Pinots.

As previously mentioned, the red wines are surprisingly full-bodied, the best examples of which can be found in Hron, Neronet and Nitria bottled varieties.

Reflecting on the World of Slovak Wines tasting Robert Ondrejcsak told Harpers, “I am very happy we were able to show the best wines of Slovakia to wine professionals in London – I believe the quality was convincing. Sometimes you really find jewels in unexpected or previously unknown regions.”

It seems the trade is catching on to Ondrejcsak’s message. In 2021, Slovakian wine exports to the UK were valued at €183,609 compared to just €3,500 and €1,500 in 2020 and 2019 respectively.

A region undeniably on the up with impressive organic credentials, you can expect to see more Slovak wines in the UK market in the future.

Wineries